


what's mine is yours

by JaneScarlett



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 20:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6721657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneScarlett/pseuds/JaneScarlett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three times River 'borrowed' the TARDIS (and one time she got caught...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	what's mine is yours

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the RDficathon (Prompt #39: Three times River 'borrowed' the TARDIS and the one time she got caught)

i.  
She spotted her as soon as she walked outside; because really, it was impossible to mistake the brilliant blue of the TARDIS with anything else. Therefore, the better question was _why_ she was parked in the shuttle bay landing of the Hospital of the Infinite Schism, without the Doctor anywhere in sight.

River hesitated, not sure what to do. Go over to the ship, or ignore her... She had rather thought that the Doctor had left her on her own. It had seemed that way, at least. Leaving her in hospital to recuperate, telling the nurses that she was free to go whenever she was able.

Somehow, she’d expected that would be it. Their association finished. And even if he had left her a blue book (complete with a chip hidden inside it, containing enough credit that she’d be able to do as she pleased)… she knew the stories. He never did leave his companions completely uncared for; though he rarely returned.

But here was the TARDIS. As though she was waiting for her… River knocked on the door, half-expecting the Doctor to poke his head out, beckoning her inside; yet was unsurprised that realise the door was unlatched, opening immediately for her to slip in.

“Hello?” River called. “It’s me.”

There was no answer. Not from anything humanoid, anyway. The TARDIS hummed softly, and River smiled, feeling strangely shy.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” She lay her hand against the console, remembering the last time she’d been there. Shaky and newly regenerated and almost feral in her desire to kill and run… at least until she’d walked through the doors to find the TARDIS consciousness enveloping her mind like a half-forgotten song, the lyrics suddenly remembered.

_You are safe, my darling child. You will always be safe with me. You will be loved, protected. Helped..._

And then she’d show River how to fly her. Shown her how to trace her parents, how to rescue them.

But that had been weeks ago. And now River stood in the TARDIS once more. Not so newly regenerated, perhaps not so wild… still a little shaky. Abstractly, River wondered if that feeling came from the ship herself. She was beautiful, welcoming; and yet a little overwhelming at the same time.

“Is _he_ here?” River asked. “Did he come to fetch me?”

But if he had, he’d be here; and she could feel that the ship was empty.

“I see,” she said, smiling. “He didn’t. You just came here to see me. Wondering how I am?”

The TARDIS hummed. River tilted her head to the side, certain she was interpreting correctly.

“No reason to worry. I’m fine.”

Another hum, stronger this time. But a very motherly _‘you can’t fool me’_ sort of sound. (Amy used to sound like that, when faced with some of Mels’ less-savoury activities.)

“Can’t put anything past you, can I?” River sighed, sinking down onto the floor. She pulled her legs up, propping her chin on her knees.

“I’m not fine,” she admitted. It felt almost shameful to say that, though she knew the TARDIS would certainly keep her confidence.

“They all talked about River Song,” she continued. “Amy, Rory... Obviously she’s a close friend to them, a trusted one. And how the Doctor talked about her! But I’m not her. I don’t even know how to be her.

“Wouldn’t you think the Doctor could have told me something?” she muttered. “How she started… how she turned from me into her?”

The monitor beeped, startling River. She climbed to her feet, peering at the script rolling across the screen.

_River Song, it read. She is rumoured to be the woman who killed the Doctor; or the wife of the Time Lord known as the Doctor. She has also been referred to under the labels of: time traveller, assassin, spy, saviour._

_Known facts: achieved a Doctorate in Archaeology at the Luna University, Fifty-First Century._

River pulled the screen toward her, obscurely fascinated at seeing her future laid out. Rather; hinted at. She huffed an exasperated sigh, rereading the first paragraph. A lot of rumour, it seemed. And those labels –without giving specific descriptions- were very broad… she almost had to wonder if that was the TARDIS editing; or the Doctor himself, suspecting that she might try looking herself up.

At least there was one known fact. The Luna University, Fifty-First Century.

“Well,” she said aloud, her hands already straying to the TARDIS controls. “I suppose I have to start somewhere. I’d ask the Doctor for a lift. But as he’s not here… maybe I can just borrow his motor?”

The trip took only a few moments, but it was as thrilling as she remembered. Flying the TARDIS… could anything be better than that? River paused at the door, her eyes scanning back on the console to be sure she’d set the fast-return switch, and deleted the search history.

“See you around,” she called, blowing a kiss to the time rotor. “And thanks for the lift.”

 

ii.  
For a man who was supposed to be dead, the Doctor had no sense of discretion. Because River would have thought: big blue box. Big blue box marked Police. The old girl was an anachronistic sight across most of time and space... but more than that; seeing her parked somewhere was like a calling card, announcing to the world: the Doctor is here.

Her husband was an idiot sometimes.

And because of that, over the past few years, River had had very few problems with appropriating his ship whenever she felt like it. Sometimes because she needed a lift, and the TARDIS was there. Sometimes because she hated what her vortex manipulator did to her hair, and it was easier to have a nice get-away vehicle.

Sometimes she was just bored. The old girl was there… and while her husband was very likely somewhere in the vicinity, he wasn’t with her.

It wasn’t exactly stealing, River reasoned. It was borrowing. She always sent her back, after all… and since he’d never noticed –and, more importantly, never told her not to do it- it had always seemed fine.

Except that this time, she wasn’t certain how long she’d been away. And yes; she could travel in time. But if the Doctor went looking and realised his ship was gone, he’d start to worry. Maybe even try tracking her…

River made a face, kicking her foot out to connect with something soft. There was a very loud, masculine grunt of surprise.

“Stop doing that,” Jack grumbled, trying to scramble out of the way. “You kick too hard.”

“I’ll could do more than kick you, if you’d prefer,” River answered. “After all: we’re in here because of you.”

“I just said: let’s have a drink. We could have stayed in Cardiff.”

“But we saw the TARDIS,” River protested. “And the Doctor wasn’t around… what’s the use of having access to a time-and-space travelling ship if you just drink at the local pub in the early Twenty-First Century? Anyway, you suggested the bar on Etrasas.”

“You said you’d never been! And I had nothing to do with you starting a shooting match with the Sontarans.”

“They insulted my blaster,” said River.

“You said they looked like potatoes.”

“They do,” River muttered.

Jack chuckled, his teeth a blinding white even in the gloom of the prison. “Don’t repeat everything the Doctor says. Only Strax doesn’t mind the potato comparison.”

“Oh,” said River, smiling herself, “he _does_. He just contents himself with the idea that one day he could shoot the Doctor and make him regret saying it.”

River got to her feet as she spoke, examining the walls and door of the cell. She wasn’t certain how long they’d been in the prison on Etrasas. It could have been an hour, or a few days; though the dryness of her mouth did tend to indicate the latter. Her last memory was of the police showing up, and a stinging pain in her neck from a tranquiliser dart… apparently, the locals took public brawling quite seriously. Which was something to remember for the future, River thought; if only that she should be a little slower with her gun next time.

“Well,” Jack said, his deep voice interrupting her thoughts, “this has been fun, but how about we get out of here?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” said River. She leaned against the door, rummaging in her pocket and hoping they hadn't searched her. Her fingers brushed against spare ammunition, two old-fashioned fountain pens, her computer, a fuzzy unwrapped toffee -she was certain the Doctor was responsible for that one- before finally... yes, there they were.

Stormcage wasn’t good for much, but it had taught her that nearly anywhere could be broken out of. A little luck –and of course a set of picks- and the rusty grate slid open. 

Their luck held: there were no guards around. And, in a closet below the stairs, they even found their blasters... River rolled her eyes, even as she scooped them up. Grateful though she was, she couldn't help wishing they'd given her a little more of a challenge.

“Think they moved the TARDIS?” Jack asked.

“I hope not,” River said. They crept up the stairs, hiding in the shadows as they moved toward the door… and both immediately broke into a sprint as the alarms sounded. Jack reached the doors first; and River half-turned, aiming and firing in one swift movement at the guard to buy time before she raced after him.

“Should – be- close,” Jack panted. River nodded. No use wasting words; either the TARDIS would be on the corner outside the bar, or it wouldn’t be.

It was. River fumbled with the key, pulling the door open so they could tumble inside and quickly start the engines, spinning off into the vortex and from there back to Cardiff. The right place… right time. River angled them back a few hours earlier, parking right near the docks – where she’d found it- and hurriedly pulled Jack out. 

The door closed behind them, and just in time. The Doctor came walking around the corner, a wide grin on his face as he saw them.

“Captain,” he said, nodding at Jack. “And River… were you looking for me? Fancy a little trip?”

River stifled the urge to glance at Jack, hoping he wouldn’t laugh and give them away.

“Oh,” she said, smiling. “A trip sounds nice, sweetie. Wouldn’t be any fun without you.”

 

iii. 

It had been a beautiful day at the Luna University when River finished her lecture, and pressed the requisite buttons to bring her to Leadworth in the Twenty-First Century. And, she was pleased to see, that it was a beautiful day there, as well. The sun was warm on her face, the air crisp and cool. The garden was even already decorated for her parents' anniversary party. Streamers and fairy lights... River smirked as she recognised her husband's contributions. Vibrant flowers that looked like Mylar balloons festooned every available surface.

"He does cheat," she murmured to herself. "Those won't even be bred for another two centuries."

Still, they were beautiful. And a nice reminder of when they'd gone -all of them, one of the first trips when she'd joined her parents in the TARDIS- to the gardens of Razmaham. River smiled, remembering Amy's laughter when Rory presented her with one of these same flowers...

Suddenly impatient to see everyone, River walked quickly toward the porch, pausing only to pull out a mirror to check her reflection. Her eyes were bright with excitement; lipstick... she paused, worried, until she remembered. Not the hallucinogenic one today. (This one tasted like cinnamon candy... the Doctor did have a penchant for sweets.)

Her hair might have been a little wilder than generally preferred, but not bad at all for vortex manipulator travel. And her grey dress skimmed demurely over her curves, the neckline dipping to show just enough cleavage to make her husband blush (without making Rory grumble that she would catch cold).

River snapped the mirror shut, stowing it in her purse. _Perfect_. She looked nice enough to celebrate her parents’ anniversary - but not so nice that she wasn't ready for whatever the Doctor had planned for afterwards.

It was early enough that there was only family at home. Amy and Rory and the Doctor; she could see them busily at work through the kitchen window. Rory organising wine bottles, Amy taking the glasses down from the shelf and placing them carefully on the counter.

And the Doctor. Utterly absorbed in whatever he was cooking and paying no attention to what was going on around him... River groaned, sensing what was going to happen a moment before it actually did. 

Amy had just placed the last glass on the counter when the Doctor gave one last, vigorous stir to whatever was in the pan... and as if in slow motion, River watched a spray of something bright orange and sticky shoot upwards. The Doctor yelped, jumping backwards, his arms flailing and hitting Rory in the shoulder; who then dropped the wine bottle he'd been holding. And the spoon the Doctor had been holding flew out of his hand to hit the glasses with an ear-splitting crash...

Everyone winced. On the porch, River closed her eyes, holding them shut for a few long moments and hoping when she opened them again, her parents' kitchen would not still look like a disaster area.

No such luck. Broken glass, everywhere. Orange sauce on the table, the floor, and -she craned her head up- the ceiling... and on the hob, the pan continued bubbling and splattering merrily away...

"Umm," she heard the Doctor say, as he glumly surveyed the damage. "Oops."

Amy sighed. "I should have just bought plastic cups."

"Tried that last time," Rory said. "They melted with that drink you tried to make."

"How was I supposed to know that Fifty-First century hypervodka would melt Twenty-First century plastic?"

River sighed, turning away from the window. She could go in, of course. Help clean up. (And, remind the Doctor to turn down the flames under the pot.)

Or... She nodded, heading toward the shed where she knew the TARDIS was parked.

It would only be a quick hop to Venice in the 24th Century, after all. A few minutes spent with the Divestri craftsmen; and less than five minutes later, River was back, boxes in hand. She knocked on the door, giving Amy a warm smile when she opened it.

"I'm sorry to be late," River apologised, "but I thought of something you might want for your party..."

She paused, looking around the still sticky, glass-crunchy kitchen. 

"Perhaps I should have brought a cleaning crew as well?"

Amy frowned. "Sarcasm isn't welcome here, young lady."

"Mother, that is one of the silliest things you've ever said. I'm certainly not young."

"But what a lady," mumbled the Doctor, his eyes sliding up her body, from high heels to hair and lingering a little longer than strictly necessary on her cleavage.

River smirked; she loved it when he spoke without thinking, and especially in front of her parents. Rory sighed, obviously deciding whether to get involved or ignore the entire exchange.

"So," he said loudly. "You brought us a present?"

"It's a bit heavier than it looks. I'll place it here..." Gingerly, she put everything on the table, stepping back to give her parents room to pry the boxes open.

"Well?" River asked, when Amy looked up, beaming. "Am I forgiven for being sarcastic?"

"Sarcastic, but a good girl," said Amy. She gave River a quick hug. Rory shook his head, walking over to hug her as well.

"How did you know we needed glasses?" he asked. His arm was still around her shoulder, and River burrowed a little closer to his side.

"Oh," she said, poking her toe at one of the larger fragments still on the floor. "Just lucky."

"More than lucky," said the Doctor. He had picked up a glass, scrutinising the stamp on the bottom... and then he very deliberately dropped it, ignoring Amy's groan of despair.

"Divestri glass," he announced cheerfully, picking it back up. "Certified unbreakable. Very expensive; but they are the best makers in the Twenty-Fourth century, blending old techniques with new technology. And so many of them?" He unpacked the boxes, stacking the glasses up. Amy frowned, lips moving as she counted.

"Sixteen unbreakable wine glasses?" she asked, incredulously. "How did you carry all that here?"

River shrugged, innocently. "I'm stronger than I look."

Amy grinned. The Doctor blushed. But Rory sighed, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"You can't fool your Dad. Borrowed someone's car again?"

"Maybe," River admitted in a low voice. "But this was a good cause, doing something for my parents. And don't worry; I put it back. He'll never notice it was gone."

 

i.  
The Doctor may have needed to snap his fingers; but more often than not, the TARDIS would simply open whenever River lay her hand on the door. Like now: she could feel the ship's happy vibrations beneath her fingertips as the door opened, the TARDIS song echoing joyously in her ears as she stepped inside.

"Oh, you darling. I haven't been gone that long," River said, laughing. "Though, I know what you mean. It felt like forever."

Except of course, that it hadn't been. And while it had been disorienting for her -trapped in a computerised database where time didn't exist, yet feeling the centuries drag by - the actual extraction hadn't taken long at all in the real world. 

Or so the Doctor said. He did lie, after all... and she'd never been certain of how long he'd mourned, thinking she was gone. Even after twenty-four years, he had refused to tell her.

"Before you ask, he's asleep," River said softly, inputting the coordinates as she spoke. "I _may_ have worn him out. But I had a favour to ask of you... how would you feel about a little trip?"

She released the handbrake for a swifter dematerialisation, pleased when the TARDIS simply hummed. No objections from her, then. The Doctor would have argued if she'd told him she was going; but she'd known the old girl would understand why she needed to.

After all she'd lived through, shadows shouldn't scare her anymore. But her hearts felt like they were beating faster than usual as they materialised, her palms were sweaty. River rubbed her hands on her trousers, taking one deep breath, then another before she found the strength to open the doors.

The TARDIS had thoughtfully parked only a few paces away; close enough to reach out and grab her sonic with one hand, the other scooping up the battered blue diary that had lain underneath.

And then she was safely back inside. The doors slammed shut behind her - the TARDIS taking off immediately on fast-return - and moments later, River was on Darillium. 

The whole trip had taken two minutes, if so long. River shoved her diary into her purse, the sonic into her holster. And then -evidence hidden- she consciously tried to calm her racing hearts back to normal. Eyes closed, slow even breaths... 

"Thank you," she murmured aloud. "I just... I couldn't leave it behind. My past; I didn't want it to be just dusty stories on a shelf.

"No need to tell him about this," River said. She gave the console a gentle pat, then straightened out her clothes, heading toward the door.

"In fact," she said brightly as she reached the door, "I'm sure he'll never even notice I was gone..."

She was smiling, thinking of creeping back into bed beside her husband, when she opened the door to find it blocked. 

The Doctor was standing there. Grey hair rumpled, arms crossed, and a terrifying scowl on his face.

"Running away?" he asked. "Already?"

River shrugged. "Thought I'd come say hello to the old girl. I missed her."

"Liar," said the Doctor. "You stole her."

"Borrowed," River said. "Brought her back."

"Stole," the Doctor insisted. "Thought you'd go off on a little trip? And I wouldn't notice?"

"You never did before. And I knew you wouldn't have approved... but I was only gone a few minutes, sweetie. I had to pick something up."

"First," said the Doctor, "of course I would know."

"Now," River added, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. She knew how it irritated him that for years, he'd never figured out her periodic borrowing.

"Second," said the Doctor, "even a few minutes is too long. And I'm not saying that I can feel when you're not there. I'm not saying that the bed feels emptier, and I can tell that you're missing from the universe."

"Of course not," River said smoothly.

"I'm _not_ saying all that," the Doctor insisted, petulant to the last. "I'm only saying that I know when you're supposed to be with me and you're not.

"And then, third..." She could tell that he was trying to maintain his grumpy, scowling facade; and simply couldn't. His eyebrows twitched first, then the corners of his mouth, tucking themselves upwards. His arms dropped to his sides, and then he grabbed her, burying his face into her hair.

"We can't both be nostalgic idiots, River."

"Only one idiot here," she answered, pressing his lips fondly to his cheek.

"Don't speak about yourself like that," the Doctor chided, ignoring her indignant grumbling.

"You know what I mean," he said, drawing back enough to look at her, while still not letting her out of his arms. "You didn't need to go back for your diary. It’s finished."

Unconsciously, River patted her purse. Her diary: the record of her life, so far. Luna University. Her parents. Falling in love with the Doctor… all their adventures, the days and nights that had summed up their lives together. 

“So much more to come,” said the Doctor. “More adventures to be lived.” He nodded, encouragingly; and River smiled, thinking of the books she'd found on bedside table, when she'd returned from the Library. A veritable stack of them, and all blank, except for the top one. He'd left a bold scribble on the first page.

_The Diary of River Song. Volume II._

“More adventures?” River laughed, revelling giddily in the idea that even after Darillium, after the day she'd thought she was going to die; there was more to come. More adventures. More life to live.

“Maybe I’ll borrow the TARDIS,” she teased.

“Steal, more like.” The Doctor looked at her, the stern set of his lips entirely belied by the twinkle in his eyes; and telling her without words that he didn't mind in the least.


End file.
